The South western news., 1887-06-22
Home aud Farm.
By BILL ARP.

1tOW gratefully the blessed twl-
light succeeds the summer day.
When one has been atewed and
sweltered with the heat and glare
ofa burning sun for about 10 hours
it is a comfort to see the shadows
lengthen and the SUP begin to near
the western hills The days are
just long enough to make us love
the night. What a luxury to sit
in the piazza just after the sun
goes down and enjoy the cooling
air and list,nte the song of the
Katydids, and see the laborers GO
ing slowly home from their long
days work.
But rest and comfort is not all
t t shade does for m N. 1t is n.
lures own restorer. 1t is shade
that renOvates the soil. 1t is the
sun that warns and terminates,
but it is the night that furnishes
the plant food. Shade generates
and applies ammonia which is what
all vegetation feed upon. used
to think that some plants like clio.
yer enriched the soil by bringing
down from the atmosphere some of
its nitrogen and depOsiting it in
the soil. Some said it was the
clover rOOts that decompOsed and
made the soil rich, hut I am now
convinced that ammonia is genera
ted from shade, and that the more
shade the more plant food, A
thick growth of clover is almost
impenetrable to sunlight. The
clover does not have to be turned
under to fertilize, neither does any
green crop. Turning cowpeas un>
der when green does no more good
than when dry. 1t is the shade of
the vines that does the work. 1t
is the shade of the grass and weeds
that follow wheat, that keeps the
soil from the torrid sun and enrich
es the land by producing ammonia.
Nature protects herself. She GOV.
ers the exposed ground with a
shield from the July aud August
sun. 1t is mistake to pillow the
corn after it begins to silk. Bet
ter let the grass grow than have no
shade. Let the morning glory
vines come and cover the ground.
Plant COW peas in every row. They
will give shade and help the corn,
and renew the soil. The pea is an
air plant and feeds upon its netro>
gen. The fence corners that have
long been shaded are always rich.
So is the ground that is covered
by a blackberry patch. and so is
canebrake. One would think that
canebrakes and briars would ex>
haust the soil in a year or two, and
SO they would if it were not for the
dense. impenetrahle shade they
make. Suppose you tear down an
old house. What luxuriant
growth comes there. Cow peas
are the best renOvator I know of,
for they will grow in poor land
and they DO their work speedily.
Pea vines will be ready to harvest
about the close of the summer and
when the peas are in the dough
NOW down The crop and cure it for
winter hay. When cut at that
stage the leaves will not fall from
the vines, aud there is no better
hay than peavine hay. Horses
and cattle devour it greedily, and
it is splendid for milk, cows. Build
a rail pen and puta rail floor a
foot from the ground, fill up say
two or three feet. and then anoth
err rail Aoor, and 50 on as high as
you please. Fill your barn loft,
but donOt pack asay solid until
well cured. My neighb0r says:
You will ruin your land; you
ought not to strain your land with
two crops in one year. II you SOW
peas you ought to pillow them un.
DER
Well, why not? Nature will put
up crop of weeds and grass if l
don't SOW down q crop of peas.
What is the difference? / take
my choice OF crops, that's all, and
I gin. more shade 10 the Land